Recipe ReDux Post # 78 Banana Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins

January's Recipe ReDux challenge is ringing in the New Year with a theme of cooking with "new to you" ingredients.  We were encouraged to share a healthy recipe using an ingredient that we have never tried before. Since I went gluten-free over 5 years ago I have always missed certain baked goods, namely muffins. I have created many recipes of my own to satisfy the craving and am always scanning the offerings at local coffee shops and bakeries to see if they may have any tasty gluten free options to treat myself from time to time as well. When we were in Tahoe for the holidays I was surprised and delighted to find gluten free oat bran muffins in skiing village coffee shop and have been thinking about trying to experiment with using oat bran at home too.  This challenge seemed to be the perfect opportunity to try making with it so I ordered some of Bob's Red Mill gluten free oat bran and went to work. I decided to keep with one of my favorite bases to use when baking muffins, mashed banana in order to keep the sugar and fat content low. I also added some corn meal to enhance the flavor as well and the recipe came out pretty darn good!   Hopefully you will enjoy it too and l check out all the other "new" culinary creations developed by the talented Recipe ReDux group.  

Ingredients:

2/3 cup oat bran ( use Bob's Red Mill if you are on a gluten-free diet)

1/4 cup oat flour (use a gluten free brand such as Bob's Red Mill if you are on a gluten-free diet)

1/4 cup corn meal

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 large sized over ripe bananas, mashed

6 Tablespoons liquid egg white

¼ cup (packed) brown sugar

1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries 

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the oat bran, oat flour, cornmeal, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, brown sugar, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Add the oats bran/flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the blueberries. Spoon into a 12 space regular size muffin pan coated with cooking spray and bake for about 25 minutes, until top is firm, lightly browned and a toothpick comes out mostly clean when inserted into the center.

 Makes 12 servings

Serving size 1 muffin Calories 130 Protein 3 g Carb 20 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 9 g Fat 4 g Saturated fat 1 g Sodium 73 mg

IMPORTANT NOTE: these muffins are very moist so the ones you do not eat on the day you bake them must be stored in the fridge.  

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My Book is Released Today! Final Health Habit From The 7 Day Countdown!

My book is out today.  Click HERE to learn more about how to buy it!  Here is today's final habit from the 7 day countdown and keep an eye out for more habit and lifestyle posts coming out soon!

Snack Sensibly

Snacks are a great way to keep you energized and to prevent excess hunger as well as overeating at meal times, but don’t get sabotaged by a snack attack gone haywire. Too much snacking can defeat the purpose of staying healthy.  Choosing the right snacks to have between meals can make all the difference in helping you along with your meal plan.Plan ahead to keep healthy snacks readily available in your cupboard or on the go.  That way you won’t just grab or buy whatever is in sight when hunger hits. It can be helpful to consume snacks that are high in fiber, as well as mini combos of protein and fat to help satisfy you and keep your blood sugar more stable until the next mealtime.  Good high fiber choices include a piece of whole fruit, ¾ cup berries, ¼ shelled edemame (soybeans), 3 cups air popped popcorn or raw veggies with low fat ranch dressing. If you are looking for a more hearty snack with carb plus protein, try ½ apple spread with 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 6 ounces of Greek yogurt with ¼ cup fresh fruit, 5 whole grain crackers with an ounce or cheese or a rice cake spread with 2 tablespoons hummus. Wanting a low carb alternative?.. A stick of low fat string cheese, a handful of nuts or celery sticks with peanut butter will definitely do!

And, check out some great snack recipes from my blog HERE!!

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Today's Healthy Habit, Countdown to Book Release- 1 day left!

Just one more day until my book comes out! Catch it in stores or online tomorrow!  Here is today's habit for the countdown!

Investigate Ingredients Lists: Less is More

Keep it simple and natural as far as your meal plan is concerned. Steer clear of processed foods as often as you can and a long list of ingredients should be a red flag. Cut down on packaged foods that may have additives like sugar, salt and not to mention tons of stabilizers and chemicals that you may not even be able to pronounce.You can take the guesswork out of food choices by choosing whole and natural foods like fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain staples like oatmeal, brown rice and corn tortillas and fresh meats and poultry, as well as nuts and natural nut butters, to name a few examples.Try to eat more fresh food that you can prepare yourself at home. 

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Healthy Habits For The Weekend!

Just a few more days until my book comes out. Here are some healthy habits for the weekend as the countdown continues.

Habit One: Use Your Recipe Resources 

Stumped when trying to think of more ideas to add variety and flavor to your meal plan? Get new healthy recipes to add to your meal plan by using your resources. You would be surprised at how many healthy recipes are out there - if you name it you will find it in terms of locating a healthy version of your favorite food. Take advantage of all the recipe information that is out there on the Internet and at your local library. Make it a goal to try a new recipe every week to mix things up and keep up your meal plan exciting. Swap healthy recipes with family and friends that are in your support network as well. Take a healthy cooking class or subscribe to a magazine that features healthy recipes to motivate you to try new ideas. And a great start is THIS BLOG for plenty of easy and healthy recipes!  

Habit Two: Challenge Yourself By Setting Personal Exercise Goals 

Set small, realistic and positive goals  to keep active and step up your activity levels incrementally. Setting daily, weekly and monthly goals can help you stay on track. Break your goals into small steps to climb the fitness ladder to success. For those of you who have never exercised before and have been given the go ahead by your doctor, a small goal to start with 5-10 minutes/day would be an example of a great start. If you are already in the habit of exercising, try out a goal of adding an additional 5 minutes to your session or adding an extra session into your week. To increase variety, make it a goal to try one new activity per month to enhance your fitness routine

Habit Three:

Try To Stick To A Regular Sleep Schedule

By keeping a habitual bedtime and wake time you can help set your body’s internal clock, referred to as a circadian rhythm, in your favor to so you can get adapted to a good sleep routine. Also, by keeping to a regular bedtime it can help ensure you will get to bed in time to get enough hours of sleep overnight. Make every attempt to go bed around the same time every night, even on the weekends if possible. And try not to sleep in more than 1-2 hours maximum on the weekends or days off. Large shifts in you bedtime or waking hours can disrupt your circadian rhythm and cause problems with sleep as well as your alertness and energy levels during the day. If you are trying to get to an early bedtime, do it gradually by shifting in 15 minute intervals earlier each night until you are adjusted. Have trouble waking up in the morning? Let some morning sunlight in to help your internal body clock work with you to greet the day.

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Bonus Healthy Habit Post!

Why stop now? Here's another healthy habit I wanted to share with you!

Shop Smart!

Being prepared makes a big difference when you are shopping for food. Never go to grocery store hungry because this can set you up to give in to the temptation to buy less healthy food and take the time to plan ahead before you grocery shop to stay on track. Go shopping after a meal, or have a small wholesome snack like a piece of fruit, string cheese, handful of nuts before you head out.Make a list of foods that fit your meal plan so you can arrive prepared and maximize your time while in the store. Create a basic list on the computer to print, or have one ready on your smart phone that you can keep and add to throughout the year so you do not have to “recreate the wheel” each time you hit the store aisles. 

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Healthy Habit Series Starts NOW!

Let’s get things started! I am counting down the next 6 days until my book release with one healthy habit suggestion per day and kicking off a new segment on my blog dedicated to discussing healthy habits in future posts. 


Today’s habit: drink more water!! 

Hydrate for energy, great skin, to prevent overeating, aid digestion and then some...Drink a glass upon waking (hot water w/lemon is awesome in the AM ),consume a glass before each meal to prevent overeating, keep a large environmentally-friendly reusable water bottle with you at your desk and on the go, even set reminders on your phone to drink if you have to! Unless you have a medical condition that requires restricting fluids, plenty of water is almost always a key component to good health. Check out my new healthy lifestyle account for more upcoming tips and tricks on Instagram at:  @habits4wholehealth 

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New Year, NEW BOOK!

Happy New Year everyone!  I'm excited to announce that my book will be available in less than one week....release date is 1/15/19 (!) and it is available at:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Costco, and likely some other book stores in the future too.

Though this book is geared toward preventing pre-diabetes, it has 100 habits that promote good mental and physical health in general, therefore making its content very applicable to most anyone!

I hope you will check it out and I wish you health and happiness in 2019!!

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